Once Upon a December

Perhaps our planet is for learning to appreciate the extraordinary wonder of life that surrounds even our suffering, and to say Yes, if through the thickest of tears.

Alice Walker [Barracoon, Foreword]

~~~~~

Hello Friend

How nice to see you! Please come in and hang your wraps by the door.

It seems the perfect day for lemon ginger tea, doesn’t it? I’ve been feeling a tiny bit under the weather, but lots of people out there are really sick with long-lasting colds, fevers, and sore throats. Just thinking about that sends me for the lemon tea. Add a little honey and it’s the perfect soothing nectar.

My cousin and dear friend gave us a Christmas tin of her homemade Old Fashioned Almond Crunch the other day. Perfect complement to lemon ginger tea, don’t you think? Please help yourself. I know you won’t be able to take just one.

~~~~~

~~~~~

Old Fashioned Almond Crunch

1 cup butter (not margarine)
1-1/4 cups white sugar
2 Tablespoons corn syrup
2 Tablespoons water

Cook over medium heat to 300 degrees F (hard crack stage), stirring constantly. Remove from heat and immediately stir in 1 cup toasted almonds.

Pour into foil-lined cookie sheet, and sprinkle 1 cup chocolate chips. Let stand 5 minutes, then spread with the back of a spoon. Sprinkle with finely chopped almonds. Cool, break into pieces. 
Enjoy!

~~~~~

I’m taking my time with Christmas decorating this year. Other years I’ve pressed through it all with driven gusto, trying to meet the goals I’d set for myself; trying to make our home perfect for the season. This year, my nervous system can’t seem to handle the same busyness and stress. And, it’s also taking some thought to decide how I want the decor to go in this new home, using all of the old Christmas decorations.

I’ve always loved the preparations for Christmas, whether I go all out or just set out a few things. Quite by accident, The Cowboy brought in the ‘wrong’ tree to set up. It wasn’t the newer one, the one that is tall and pre-lit and goes together in three easy steps. No, it’s the thirty-year-old one we used when our girls were young. Every branch needs to be placed in the right spot and then fluffed out to resemble a real tree. At first I dreaded the time-consuming chore, but as I worked on it, the memories of past years decorating the tree as a family, came quickly. Putting up the tree branch by branch, and carefully hanging long-loved ornaments became a sweet task.

~~~~~

~~~~~

Yet, in some instances the memories were bittersweet. Today, on the day of this writing, it is the 26th anniversary of the death of The Cowboy’s best friend – his dad. It was unexpected and shocking. The girls were so young when they lost their beloved Grandpa: eleven, nine, and four at the time. In the middle of Christmas preparations and school programs, a funeral was planned, family gatherings were shuffled and reorganized. And we celebrated Christmas without Dad.

Now my cousins are going through the same thing, as I got news that my uncle passed away yesterday. He was diagnosed less than a month ago, and suddenly he’s gone. We can’t prepare for everything, can we?

The arrival of December and the Christmas season doesn’t mean that hurt and suffering suddenly take a break. And this year, it seems the whole world is suffering as we all try to get back to some sense of ‘normal.’

~~~~~

Most of the world’s citizens are in need of a little extra TLC at the moment. Most are donning invisible “Handle with care” posters around their necks and “Fragile” tattoos on their bodies … Instead of racing to the finish line of this year, tread gently. Go slowly.

Naomi Holdt – Psychologist and Speaker

~~~~~

~~~~~

Have you ever noticed that some of the most beautiful music is written in a minor key? Several of my favourite Christmas songs are in minor keys. O Come O Come Emmanuel, What Child Is This?, Mary, Did You Know? to name just a few. It’s the minor key that makes them heart-tugging and poignant. The tune stays with one for a long time. They have a certain sweetness not present in songs written in a major key.

Could it be that the struggles we wade through make this fragile life more beautiful? Perhaps through the lens of our sorrow and pain we see with more depth and clarity, more wonder. Sunrises, with their soft peaches and pastel pinks, seem brighter. More brilliant. And it takes a breath to realize …

They always were.

~~~~~

~~~~~

So glad you stopped in today amid your own busy preparations for Christmas. In case I don’t see you again before, I wish you a Merry Christmas Season with lots of hope and beauty, though it may at times be written in a minor key.

Stay safe out there, and see you next time.

~~~~~

I heard a bird sing in the dark of December.

A magical thing. And sweet to remember.

We are nearer to Spring than we were in September.

I heard a bird sing in the dark of December.

Oliver Herford

~~~~~

~~~~~

In the depth of winter, I finally learned that there was in me an invincible summer.

Albert Camus

~~~~~

Featured Image by Marko from Pixabay